Performer Support Program

Supporting artists. Developing talent. Creating opportunities to shine.

Drag is more than entertainment—it is an art form deeply rooted in LGBTQIA+ culture, creativity, self-expression, and community. At To Proudly Go, we believe performers should have opportunities to develop their talents, explore their creativity, and take the stage with the resources and support they need to succeed.

The To Proudly Go Performer Support Program provides emerging and developing drag artists participating in our programming with practical resources, mentorship, and performance opportunities. Through the program, To Proudly Go may provide performers with costumes, wigs, makeup, accessories, performance supplies, and other materials that help bring their creative visions to life.

The program also recognizes that becoming a successful performer involves more than what happens on stage. Participants can benefit from mentorship and hands-on experience alongside established performers, helping them develop their stage presence, character and concept development, costuming, makeup, performance preparation, audience engagement, and other skills involved in producing a successful drag performance.

Whenever possible, To Proudly Go provides opportunities for developing performers to put those skills into practice by appearing in our drag show fundraisers and special community events. These experiences give performers a welcoming environment in which to develop their craft, connect with audiences, work alongside other artists, and become part of a larger creative community.

The program is particularly important because drag can be expensive and competitive. Costumes, wigs, shoes, makeup, and other supplies can create significant barriers for someone developing their craft. The original program concept recognized these challenges and envisioned TPG providing both material assistance and access to stages where performers could gain experience and mentorship.

Through the Performer Support Program, To Proudly Go invests directly in the people who help make our programming possible. By sharing resources, knowledge, experience, and opportunities, we seek to foster an environment where performers can experiment, learn, grow, and develop their own artistic voices.

Our goal is not to create one particular kind of drag performer. It is to give artists the support and space to discover what kind of performer they want to become. Because building a more inclusive future also means helping the next generation of queer artists take the stage.